A quick post from me this one in reaction to the news breaking this evening that Southampton have signed Lyon defender Dejan Lovren for a fee of €10million Euros.

Southampton FC is delighted to announce the signing of Croatia defender Dejan Lovren on a four-year deal. #saintsfc pic.twitter.com/dANW2h0kWz

— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) June 14, 2013

I first became aware of this news a week ago over on an account I use mainly for French football purposes through my work as an analyst and scout on Ligue 1:

#Lyon defender Dejan Lovren subject of a €10million bid from #Southampton according to reports, fallen out with Remi Garde & seeking a move.

— Jonathan F (@JFfutebol) June 8, 2013

The reason I mention this, aside from the wonderful sugar rush feeling I’m currently experiencing of finally being a proper ‘ITK’ top guy (I’m kidding, I’m not and 99.8% of them are buffoons on a wind-up in the first place), is that I’ve had a bit of time to think about this potential move and have some brief observations on the deal.

Firstly, on Lovren.

Dejan Lovren

Dejan Lovren was signed by Lyon in January 2010 for a fee of €8million, at a time when Les Gones were still in their ‘extravagant spending’ phase under club president Jean Michel Aulas. Lovren, a Croatian centre back of excellent promise, was being followed by Chelsea at the time amongst others, and Lyon getting in there first appeared a coup for the former French champions.

Lovren’s playing time was scarce in his first six months at OL and he featured in only 8 league games, but in his second season he was gradually integrated into the starting lineup at centre back and made 28 starts.

A brave and committed defender, in 2011/12 his playing time decreased, in part due to injuries. He started 2012/13 as first choice centre back alongside Milan Bisevac, signed from PSG, as coach Remi Garde left Bakary Kone to one side and opted for the Serbo-Croat axis in defence.

Another injury last November kept Lovren out for a further month, but in this period he was largely considered first choice for Garde until a series of poor games earlier this year led to doubts over the 23-year-old’s place in the team. It all began to unravel in March though.

Given PSG’s riches and a young Lyon squad trimmed of stars in a new age of austerity for Les Gones, a tilt at the title this season appeared extremely unlikely. Somehow though, they managed to hang in there. Until March, when a catastrophic string of three defeats in a row to Bastia, Sochaux and Reims pretty much ended Lyon fans’ title dreams.

In a 4-1 thrashing at Bastia Lovren was particularly bad – poorly positioned, a yard off the pace and flat-footed when up against the verve and quicksilver movement of the Corsican team. Against Sochaux the following weak Lovren was the clear weak link in defence, absolutely hounded by powerful striker Giovanni Sio (despite being 6’2 Lovren can tend to struggle against physically dominant target men).

Lovren was responsible for Sochaux’s second goal in a 2-1 home defeat, a culmination of the battering he took from Sio that day, and was dropped from the side completely. It would be his last game for the club.

At 23 the Croatian is still young enough to improve, but his behaviour after being dropped – throwing strops, complaining about wanting to leave and generally being miserable – will provide cause for concern.

Perhaps it was the outward expression of a man who already had eyes elsewhere, or the frustrated impotence of a man who wanted to prove himself but wasn’t allowed to. Either way it may be a worry for Saints fans as he joins his new club. At €10million the fee seems astronomical given his season’s denouement, and many Lyon supporters on Twitter are delighted.

Premier League power

This brings me to my next point. In the grand scheme of things, €10million – or £8.5million – is a big deal for Lyon, who are cash-strapped and have been selling their best players for a while now. To Southampton however it’s next to nothing.

The Premier League’s new TV deal, kicking in this coming season, is worth £3billion over 3 years, up 71% on the current deal. The team that finishes bottom of the league will earn £60.6m. Just for taking part. And that’s without even taking into account the lucrative figures for overseas TV rights. By comparison, Manchester United were awarded £60.8m for winning the damn thing not two months ago.

Lovren’s circumstances may be unique but he was still considered a brilliant prospect not long ago, and may prove himself in a new environment.

Basically, while the transfer may represent a gamble and Lyon are delighted to be making profit on a player who had completely fallen out with the club and would have left anyway, at £8.5m Southampton can afford this. Any team in the Premier League can afford it. It’s virtually a drop in the ocean.

The Premier League has become so commercially powerful now that I imagine we will see plenty more of these transfers over the coming months: middle or lower mid-table Premier League teams vacuuming up talents at bigger clubs on the continent just because they can. Likewise, we can expect to see clubs around Europe – even Champions League teams like Lyon, selling players to England because they need the money.

With the financial crisis swirling around Europe’s non-super rich clubs in countries like France, Spain and Italy, expect several more transfers like this one over the summer. Lovren may be leaving Lyon under a cloud, but for a team like Southampton it’s a gamble worth taking.

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On Friday, newly promoted French club AS Monaco officially confirmed they have signed Colombian striker Radamel Falcao from Atletico Madrid.

Accord avec @Atleti pour @FALCAO ! Acuerdo con @Atleti para @FALCAO ! Agreement with @Atleti for @FALCAO ! pic.twitter.com/tvMhpNqIK6

— ASM FC – OFFICIEL (@ASMFC_MONACO) May 31, 2013

The 27-year-old goal monster has signed a 5-year deal with les Monégasques, and will be presented by the club officially when the squad returns for pre-season training at a date to be confirmed. Monaco president Dmitry Rybolovlev stated:

“We are very happy that Radamel Falcao has taken up the challenge of joining AS Monaco FC. We are proud to be able to welcome one of the world’s best players and confident that he will help ASMFC regain its rightful status.”

Though unconfirmed by the club, Monaco are thought to have paid €6omillion Euros to secure Falcao’s signature, making this the biggest transfer deal in French football history, dwarfing the €45million Monaco paid FC Porto for James Rodriguez just last week.

Falcao joins Rodriguez, Joao Moutinho and Ricardo Carvalho as summer additions to Claudio Ranieri’s squad.

Monaco, only just promoted back to Ligue 1 after two seasons out of the top flight, have already been installed as second favourites to win the title in 2013-14 and with plenty more signings to come will be expected to provide a serious challenge to PSG – the other French club funded by deep-pocketed billionaires.

Falcao’s transfer to the Ligue 2 champions raises a lot of questions, including:

1) Why is he going there? – One of the hottest properties in world football, the Colombian was wanted by almost every major European club around this summer. So why move to a team who, along with Guingamp and Nantes, have only just been promoted to Ligue 1? Monaco’s storied history may be the answer to that. Or the desire for a new challenge. Or a rumoured pay packet of €14million per year after tax. You decide.

2) Are Monaco for real? – Yes, if the evidence of the last two weeks is anything to go by. In a league in which the majority of clubs are already struggling to hold onto their stars, PSG more or less took the title unchallenged this season with the likes of Lyon, Marseille and Lille all in periods of transition.

Monaco’s lavish spending (which looks set to continue with the signing of Nicolas Isimat-Mirin from Valenciennes and, potentially, Victor Valdes from Barcelona) makes them a big challenger for the title already. Falcao still won’t be able to play Champions League football until 2014-15 at the earliest though, which is a shame. For a player so good, he deserves to be playing on the very biggest stage.

3) Is this a sideways step in an eventual move to Real Madrid? - Who knows? Monaco deny this is the case and have stated there is no release clause, amidst rumours the Colombian would be allowed to return to Spain within a year (or even 6 months according to some).

4) Is third party ownership a problem? – The observant reader among you will have noted that all players Monaco have signed thus far are owned by the ‘super agent’ Jorge Mendes. Meanwhile Falcao, James Rodriguez and Joao Moutinho’s registrations and economic rights were also owned in part by parties other than the clubs involved. Is third-party ownership in football becoming a problem?

5) How will the French football authorities respond? – Monaco’s Ligue 1 place is in some dispute at the moment, with the tax advantages they face from being based outside France under contention. How do the LFP (Ligue Professionnel de Football) respond now? The added profile and glamour Falcao’s transfer brings to French football could make it advantage Monaco in that particular battle.

6) Who is the best striker in Ligue 1 now? – Zlatan or Falcao? Now that is the kind of question that is going to be a lot of fun witnessing the answer to over the coming season. Provided the former stays in Paris of course, with a move back to Italy whispered about for some time now. Zlatan just hit 30 league goals this season though, so Falcao, whose strike rate this season reads 28 goals in 34 league games, has some competition.

I’m sure there are plenty of other questions to be posed and answered in the coming days, but in the meantime, amidst gasps of surprise and disbelief, one simple fact remains: Falcao is officially a Monaco player. And what a player they’ve signed.

See also: Good Player Guide #24 – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
(Saint-Etienne / Gabon)

Like all human beings, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is a man of many complexities and contradictions.

A home-loving figure most at ease in the tranquil countryside of his home town Laval, yet willingly appears on French TV dressed as Michael Jackson.

Extremely popular and outgoing yet prefers to surround himself with close, childhood friends. Shy yet he drives a lime green Aston Martin. Humble, but he wears Swarovski crystal-encrusted football boots and shaves the Superman logo into his hair.

The Gabonese international striker is without question one of French football’s more compelling characters; a pop star footballer who adds pizzazz to a league that can sometimes lack a certain glamour. But it his natural ability on the football field, and goalscoring prowess, that has everyone talking – and scouts purring.

Aubameyang has hit 19 goals in 35 league appearances this season to add to the 16 in 36 league games last season, and has been a fundamental part of Saint-Etienne’s transformation from Ligue 1 mid-table-at-best fodder to Champions League contenders and cup winners for the first time in 32 years.

It hasn’t always been this way though. The 23-year-old’s journey to his current status as one of Europe’s most coveted talents has not been without setbacks.

Formative years

Born in Laval, Aubameyang is the youngest of three brothers in what is something of a Gabonese football dynasty. His father, Pierre Aubame, was captain of the first Gabon team to make it to the Africa Cup of Nations finals in 1994 and played for a number of French clubs in his career including Laval, Le Havre, Toulouse and Nice.

In retirement, Aubame found work as a scout for AC Milan and all three sons, Pierre-Emerick as well as elder brothers Catilina and Willy, grew up at Milanello after showing promise as teenagers. Pierre-Emerick was on the books at Milan for three years (2008-2011) without ever making it, spending most of his time shipped out on loan to French clubs (Dijon, Lille, Monaco) and making only two official appearances – one in a friendly and one in the Coppa Italia.

Despite this Aubameyang still looks back fondly on his time at Milan. “It was crazy, I shared a dressing with players like Seedorf, Kaka and Pirlo,” he told So Foot in an interview in December. “Personally I feel honoured to have spent my formative years at such a great club.”

Failure to impose himself at Milan, however understandable under the circumstances, was followed by doubt and at times even ridicule back in France. Aubameyang’s coach at Monaco, Guy Lacombe, talks about the many arguments he had with directors who disagreed with his decision to persist with the Gabonese striker, who managed only 2 goals in 19 games.

“Certain people said he was pathetic,” Lacombe recalls. “After a month I told them they should activate his buy-out clause but they didn’t listen and as soon as I left the club they discarded him.” 

After a failed loan spell in the Principality Aubameyang was loaned to Saint-Etienne in January 2011. Les Verts coach Christophe Galtier was not so foolish and, having admired the youngster’s technique, skill and electric pace from a distance, made sure to sign him on a permanent contract as soon as he could.

Style of Play and Character

Aubameyang’s record since joining Saint-Etienne reads 37 goals and 14 assists in 85 appearances, and he continues to get better.

This season Aubameyang won the Marc-Vivien Foe Prize for Best African Player in Ligue 1, was shortlisted for Ligue 1 Player of the Season alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Blaise Matuidi and Thiago Silva and, with goals in seven straight Ligue 1 games up to March, broke a record for goals in consecutive games held previously by Loic Remy.

It is not just his on-field statistics that make Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang such an impressive player however. His endearing character would also come welcome in many a dressing room. He comes across as a very likeable person and is extremely popular with the players at Saint-Etienne.

‘Spiderbam’

His vibrant personality and infectious charm have won him friends and admirers, and he is also very warm and considerate.

The former Sainté goalkeeper Jeremie Janot says he was ‘moved to tears’ when, after scoring a goal back in October, Aubameyang wore a Spiderman mask in tribute to the recently departed club legend. “An extraordinary striker and an extraordinary man,” Janot tweeted after the gesture. “Milan should regret letting him leave!”

When Jeremy Clement broke his ankle earlier this season Aubameyang shaved ‘JC 6′ into his famously-coiffed hairstyle and he was also a chief instigator of Sainté’s own version of the Harlem Shake.

“He definitely has a bling-bling side but in person he is extremely generous. He really has his hand on heart,” says teammate Joshua Guilavogui.

What I like about Aubameyang is his style. He plays with a certain relaxation. He is unflustered in possession, taking his time on the ball in one-on-one situations before committing the defender with a sudden explosion of pace.

His movement is intelligent; perpetual motion, darting from one side of the field to another, switching positions. Always calculated, always with purpose. His assist at the Stade de France for the winning goal in the league cup final against Rennes was a perfect example.

His pace is dazzling and in front of goal he is a calm finisher, capable in the air and clinical with his right foot. That said, he does have the ability to score more goals and can be wasteful at times, something he readily admits.

“I need to be more deadly in front of goal,” he commented in a recent interview. “Why not reach the level of the greats, who score 50 goals per season? I’d like to score 38 goals in 38 games in a league season. That would be exceptional.” Above all else, it is this ambitious streak residing within him that I really like, and convinces me that he could go all the way to the top.

The future

As far as the future is concerned, rumours persist that Aubameyang will leave France at the end of the season for destination unknown. A vast number of top European clubs are seriously interested in the striker and PSG, Manchester City, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund and many others have already made enquiries.

With France’s 75% tax rate soon to be introduced for high earners, Aubameyang admitted in January that it was likely to be his last six months in Ligue 1, but his stance softened when Saint-Etienne looked like reaching a Champions League place. A late season dip in form however makes the likelihood of that now quite remote.

It would be fantastic for Saint-Etienne and Ligue 1 in general if they could keep him for another season, but if he does leave in the summer Aubameyang will command a big fee and will always be remembered for his star role in the first team to bring a major trophy back to Stade Geoffrey-Guichard for over 30 years.

(photo credits: Aubameyang7 on Twitter)

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In my latest piece for FourFourTwo, where I write as a feature columnist on French and African football, I take a look at Paris Saint-Germain’s brilliant centre back Thiago Silva and his rise to becoming one of – if not THE – best defender in the world. I also look at the unspoken truth in Paris that, really, he never wanted to leave Milan and probably wouldn’t have joined PSG if the choice were his:

Le Parisien declared him “already a legend.” Alain Roche, a former France centre-back who won the European Cup Winners’ Cup with PSG in 1996, called Silva ‘the Lionel Messi of defenders.’ “The question is no longer if he is the best defender in the world,” said Roche, “because he is quite simply one of the best players in the world – better than Cannavaro when he won the Ballon D’Or.” Ricardo, another Brazilian centre back who played for and coached PSG in the 1990s, simply dubbed his compatriot “a monster.”

Head over to FourFourTwo to read the full piece, and let me know your thoughts on the piece, as well as Thiago Silva, if he is the best defender in the world, and his future, below.

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After a typically tense and dramatic ‘Classique’ at the weekend in which Paris Saint-Germain beat rivals Olympique Marseille 2-0, the two teams do battle once again tonight in the last 16 of the Coupe de France at the Parc des Princes.

Marseille were rather unfortunate at the weekend, going 1-0 down to an early Nicolas N’Koulou own goal in front of a near 45,000 crowd but recovering well and playing a level of football that left many feeling they were worthy of a point.

Ultimately however PSG demonstrated why they are top of the league and favourites to win the title, showing solidity at the back (in large part through the excellent Salvatore Sirigu in goal) and a clinical cutting edge in attack.

In the 90th minute, with Marseille pushing for an equaliser, PSG broke at the other end, debutant David Beckham involved, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic struck his 22nd league goal of the season to end it there and then.

Tonight the two teams do battle in the Coupe de France – and we will be broadcasting LIVE coverage of the match right here on Just Football.

The broadcast will commence at 7.50pm GMT and is available to those in the United Kingdom and Ireland only.

TEAM NEWS:

Ahead of the game PSG coach Carlo Ancelotti has described the cup as ‘an objective we should go for’ – but that will not prevent him from rotating the team for this ‘Clasico’ of French football.

The Italian manager confirmed that David Beckham will start for the first time in a PSG shirt, stating that he is fit enough to play the 90 minutes. “He will play in defensive midfield,” Ancelotti said of the man who has given PSG a whole new dimension of media attention. “He has the qualities and experience required to help us.”

Meanwhile Ancelotti also confirmed that Sirigu will be rested after a heroic performance on Sunday, Nicolas Douchez the man that will replace him in goal. Alex, Lucas Moura, Thiago Silva, Marco Verratti and Thiago Motta are all out through injury, or in Verratti’s case, suspension.

Elie Baup has most players available to him on the other hand, with Leyti N’Diaye and Wesley Jobello called into an enlarged squad for the game. “This competition is important to us and we will try and qualify,” Baup commented, and with Marseille now 8 points behind PSG and almost out of the title race, the cup takes on yet greater significance tonight.

Is there hope for OM? Well if so perhaps it comes in the statistics: PSG are significantly worse against the top sides this season than they are teams in the bottom half, as this analysis shows.

LIVE : Paris SG – Olympique de Marseille by ffftv

Who do you think will win tonight’s big cup game? Comments welcome.

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by Steve Wyss

There is a big fixture in Ligue 1 this weekend: ‘Le Classique’, where Paris Saint-Germain welcome Olympique Marseille to the Parc de Princes in what could be a crucial title showdown.

Les Parisiens’ shock 3-2 defeat to Sochaux last Sunday has perhaps put the title race back on but the question is for how much longer?

There is a saying in football that titles are decided in the ‘big fixtures’ between the ‘big teams’ in a league. Now I’m not really at liberty to comment about this on a worldwide or even a European scale; this may well be a very true fact in a number of divisions.

However, what I do know is that this is unlikely to be the case in France’s Ligue 1.

PSG, with all their stars and their big reputation, are seen by many as an unbeatable force and a virtual shoo-in for the title this season. But the key to their success is certainly not facing the supposed ‘better teams’ in the division.

It is their incredible record against teams in the bottom half of the table which has enabled them to have the edge on their rivals, as the statistical tables below indicate.

PSG actually have a very mediocre record when facing the other sides currently within the top 10, averaging just 1.45 points per game against them.

Amazingly there are 4 other teams who average more points per game than them in this department. Lyon for example, who have the best record out of anyone when facing the top 10 teams, average 1.81 points per game, which is significantly higher than PSG.

Here are the records for all top 10 teams when facing fellow top 10 opponents:

As we can see, if the whole season depended on these fixtures between the better teams, PSG would be sitting somewhere about 5th in the table.

PSG analysis – Ligue 1′s flat-track bullies

The key to the success of Carlo Ancelotti’s men has been how they have so easily brushed aside the weaker sides in the division.

PSG have an absolutely stunning record when facing teams who are currently in the bottom half of the table. Prior to the defeat against Sochaux at the weekend, they had a 100% record against all sides from 11th or below with the exception of Ajaccio, who managed to pick up a couple of excellent draws against them.

It is not just simply the number of points accumulated which is so astounding, it’s how well PSG have genuinely smashed the weaker sides in Ligue 1.

In just 14 fixtures so far, they have scored a massive 34 times and conceded only 4 goals (3 of which came against Sochaux).

Compare that to someone like Marseille for example, who have only managed a miserable 14 goals in the exact same number of fixtures, and you can see why PSG have such an edge in Ligue 1.

Records for all top 10 teams when facing teams in the bottom half of the table.

At the moment, the only sides who are realistically capable of catching PSG are Lyon and Marseille. But if they are to win this crown then they are going to have to really up their games when facing the poorer sides.

Marseille especially, need to be scoring more goals and really dominating their opponents. It is all well picking up good results against the supposed better sides, but if you can’t obtain the bread and butter wins then you might as well just hand PSG the title right now.

Fear factor

So why are PSG so good at beating the weaker teams in Ligue 1?

The simple answer I believe is the fear factor. Poor sides are just so afraid of PSG that they have no belief when facing them.

Most outfits will just try and park the bus and shut up shop against them, but PSG are so good at being patient and eventually breaking sides like this down.

When teams face PSG, OM and OL, there will be a similar amount of motivation for opposition players, adrenaline levels will also be fairly similar. The difference is that teams believe they can get a positive result against OM and OL, they don’t so much when the daunting prospect of playing PSG comes upon them.

Maybe Sochaux’s result against PSG gives the likes of OM and OL some hope but if PSG keep up their good record against the bottom half of the table then I can’t see beyond them for the title.

There is already some talk about the upcoming ‘Classique’ being a potential title decider, but ultimately will its result really matter, even if Marseille win?

The actual answer is probably not because knowing OM they would undo their good work by losing to someone ridiculous like Troyes or Nancy.

Carlo Ancelotti knows that the destiny of the Ligue 1 title won’t be decided in the ‘crunch games’ and at the moment he is well in control of proceedings when dominating weaker outfits.

Steve Wyss is a French football expert and analyst covering France’s Ligue 1 and 2. Follow him on Twitter @meatmansoccer.

(photo credit: Arash Derambarsh via Flickr)

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After two weeks of exciting football involving the youth teams of some of the biggest clubs in world football, Brazilian champions Fluminense have won the Al Kass International Cup 2013 beating Paris Saint-Germain on penalties.

Gabriel Silva tucked away the vital spot-kick to claim a 4-2 win after the game had finished 0-0 after 90 minutes, sparking wild scenes of celebration at the Aspire Academy in Qatar.

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Newcastle United have been very active in the January transfer window, doing almost everything in their power to asset strip France’s Ligue 1 as thoroughly as possible. But who are these French players they have signed and are the Magpies getting good value for their money?

Having watched almost every single game in Ligue 1 over the past eighteen months, here’s my assessment of their new French recruits:

Mathieu Debuchy

Mathieu Debuchy was a hero at Lille, the local boy come good, rising through the ranks to become a star. He joined the club at the age of eight and through a combination of persistence, hard work and skill, helped guide Les Dogues to a memorable league title in 2010/11 – their first in over 50 years.

At the time, it wasn’t a given that he would ever make it. “When he graduated from the academy it was difficult to imagine he could come this far,” former Lille manager Claude Puel commented when Debuchy was named in France’s Euro 2012 squad, and it is a testament to the 27-year-old’s professionalism and dedication to football that he reached this high level.

A marauding right back, he competes with Bacary Sagna for first choice in the French national team. Physically he is impressive, his boundless energy and stamina allowing him to roam up and down the right touchline all day.

He is not the most creative, managing only 7 assists in 233 games in Ligue 1 (according to LFP.fr) but he did manage 16 goals, a reasonable return for a right back. His crossing can also be dangerous when he gets forward.

At £5.5million Newcastle have a good price here, benefitting from the player’s unhappiness at not securing a summer move and Lille’s own internal turmoil. There are however question marks about his positioning at times, and he is prone to occasional lapses in concentration and rash decisions – a needless handball and penalty conceded in the Champions League last season against Trabzonspor cost Lille dear, for example.

Can he make it in the Premier League: YES

Value for money? 8/10

Massadio Haidara

At just 20 years and having made only 46 Ligue 1 appearances in a fledgeling career, Franco-Senegalese left back Massadio Haidara represents more of a gamble by Newcastle United’s recruitment team. Profiting from Nancy’s shambolic season, Alan Pardew has pounced on the Lorraine’ club’s exodus to snap up a player considered by many as one of Ligue 1′s most outstanding young prospects.

A young left back who likes to dribble and push forward where possible, linking with Yohan Mollo to good effect last season, Haidara has struggled in an awful Nancy team totally devoid of all confidence this season. It would be unfair to say this has hampered his development, but he has really not shown a huge amount to be positive about this season, save for a few impressive performances.

At 5’10 Haidara is physically imposing and still growing into his body, and he does have decent technical qualities to work from. But this represents a more risky piece of business from Newcastle (although at €3.5million not a great deal more) and Haidara is by no means the finished article. One to watch.

Can he make it in the Premier League? MAYBE – will need time to adjust.

Value for money? 7/10

Moussa Sissoko

Moussa Sissoko was dubbed ‘the new Michael Essien’ by certain sections of the media after breaking through at Toulouse in 2008, but this fairly lazily-assigned tag is not the fairest representation of the truth.

Sure, the 23-year-old does possess the box-to-box qualities that once stood Ghana’s finest out, but Sissoko is more dynamic, more refined than a simple midfield destroyer.

For a start, defensive midfield is not Sissoko’s primary position and hasn’t been for some time. In Alain Casanova’s notoriously rigid, defensive 4-5-1 system, Sissoko was more often found in a central midfield position in front of the holding midfielder (Etienne Capoue) and allowed more creative licence to push forward into advanced areas when Toulouse attack.

Sissoko is an able dribbler and so this position suits his qualities more than the sitting midfield role of an Essien or Cheikh Tiote. He can also play down the right hand side and has done on numerous occasions, offering drive and pace, although he isn’t a natural winger by any means.

Sissoko’s real breakthrough at TFC was in 2008-9, a campaign in which he was nominated for France’s Young Player of the Year award. He showed his ability with a sensational goal in the Coupe de France (French Cup) against minor opposition, and was at one point valued at around £10-15million.

With that in mind, at €2.5million Euros, rising to €3.5m should his new club avoid relegation, Newcastle have found themselves a real bargain here.

He played 192 games in Ligue 1, scoring 20 goals, and having recently been reintegrated into the France squad by Didier Deschamps, Newcastle have a player whose tenacity and ability will naturally suit the Premier League.

A quality signing whose value could increase at least fivefold in the next few years.

Can he make it in the Premier League: YES

Value for money? 10/10

Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa

Captain of last season’s league champions Montpellier, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa arrives at St. James’ Park with a big reputation and of Newcastle’s five January signings is arguably the one most will be expected of.

Subject of a bid by AC Milan in the summer, we named Yanga-Mbiwa as one of our 10 players to watch in the Champions League 2012/13 such is his ability and potential. While Montpellier were disappointing in Europe, the 23-year-old could hold his head high (except when played as a defensive midfielder, clearly not his best position).

A primarily right-footed, right-side centre back, Yanga-Mbiwa is a defensive leader with good awareness, impressive physique and excellent recovery speed. He was a rock at the back in Montpellier’s title-winning season, putting in a number of towering performances to help MHSC make history, and his distribution and timing in the tackle are often first rate.

If there is a criticism of Yanga-Mbiwa it is that he does try to leap in to intercept passes too often at times, charging forward when playing the waiting game would help keep the team’s defensive shape.

This has got him into trouble at times this season, but his truly superb pace along the ground and lightning recovery speed often spares him any blushes on the rare occasions he does mistime interceptions.

Another player whose heart wasn’t really in it this season, Newcastle again were quick to pounce and an €8million fee (£6.7m) for a player who could offer 10 years of service at a high level looks yet another fantastic piece of business.

Can he make it in the Premier League? YES

Value for money? 9/10

Yoan Gouffran

A sign of the Premier League’s undoubted global appeal, Bordeaux striker Yoan Gouffran had just a few thousand followers on Twitter before he announced his move on the social network on January 22nd. In the handful of days since he has leapt up to nearly 18,000 followers, with Newcastle fans hoping he can fill the void left by Demba Ba.

In reality however, although he does have qualities of his own, Gouffran is no Demba Ba. He is a more limited player both technically and in terms of natural goalscoring ability, and as a 26-year-old this move smacks of Newcastle missing out on choices elsewhere (Loic Remy) and opting for a capable second choice as opposed to a player wanted from day one.

Gouffran would have been out of contract in the summer so this is a move by Newcastle to add firepower in case of emergency. Gouffran is a tall target man who has certainly upped his game this season, becoming increasingly more prolific in a Bordeaux side that struggles for goals.

A decent penalty area poacher, Gouffran is good in the air and relatively quick along the ground and it will be interesting to see how he adapts to the pacier, less defensively-minded Premier League.

He has 8 goals from 20 league starts this seaason – with 28 of his 57 shots on target (49%).

41 goals in 184 Ligue 1 games isn’t the best tally, but with 14 goals in 34 game last season and nearly one in two this, for €1.5million plus bonus (he cost Bordeaux more than four times that figure in 2008) Newcastle may have signed a player about to hit his peak.

Can he make it in the Premier League? Most likely, but the jury is out and it will be a challenge

Value for money? 8/10

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The post Newcastle’s French Fancies – Player Analysis of Newcastle United’s Ligue 1 Signings appeared first on Just Football.

10 of the most exciting young football players to watch in Ligue 1 in 2013, rising stars breaking through in France. Part of The 10 Series brought to you by Just-Football.com. Follow this link for an introduction to The 10 Series (including criteria) and here for 10 of the best young players in Italy:

Wissam Ben Yedder 

(Toulouse FC, 22 years old)

Wissam Ben Yedder’s transformation from fringe player to one of the most exciting young attackers in Ligue 1 has been nothing short of remarkable. In fact it is more than a transformation, it is a complete reinvention.

At the end of the 2011/12 season the 22-year-old Ben Yedder was no more than a young reserve winger with a trick or two up his sleeve playing second fiddle to the likes of Daniel Braaten, Paulo Machado and Adrien Regattin – happy with the odd substitute appearance here and there.

A tactical switch in the summer however changed his fate. After the failed transfer and subsequent release of Turkish international striker Umut Bulut, Toulouse manager Alain Casanova had just one striker on the books, Emmanuel Riviere, and needed one desperately. Instead he bought no-one, preferring to move Ben Yedder, a futsal star turned academy graduate, from left wing to central striker.

It was a stroke of genius. Ben Yedder has burst onto the scene with his deft touch, technical mastery and surprisingly cool finishing, and his 9 goals so far make him one of Ligue 1′s top scorers in his breakthrough season.

Lucas Digne

(Lille OSC, 19 years old)

In what has so far been a season filled with disappointments for Lille, very few players can look back at their individual performances with any real satisfaction. Lucas Digne however is one who can be proud of his season to date, as his rapid rise into a real star of this LOSC team continues.

Digne only made his debut for Lille in October 2011, a product of Les Dogues’ academy after joining at 13. But in a short space of time the dynamic full back has grown into a player of real promise, rocketing from fourth to first choice left back in no time at all and attracting interest from the very top European clubs already.

Digne has all the attributes required of the modern full back. Dynamic, rapid, extremely athletic and very good offensively, the French Under-19 international has done so well that Lille recently extended his contract until 2017, no doubt to increase his value in the event of any potential sale in the next few years. Mentally he is also very focused and composed on the pitch, and his manager Rudi Garcia describes his maturity at such a young age as ‘reminiscent of a young Eden Hazard.’ Lucas Digne is definitely one to watch.

Kurt Zouma

(Saint-Etienne, 18 years old)

Kurt Zouma’s progress at Saint-Etienne this season has been hindered to a certain extent due to recurring knee trouble, but the eight games he has played so far this season have only served to affirm the 18-year-old’s truly impressive raw abilities.

Zouma’s physical attributes are what stand him out right now; a towering hulk of a centre back even at 16 when he made his debut. At 6’2 you would expect him to dominate aerially, but his timing of aerial challenges is often perfect, even if positionally he still has a lot to learn along the ground.

Described as ‘like a young Philippe Mexes’ by teammate Jean-Pascal Mignot, the youngster has already been the subject of bids from both Manchester City and QPR. Showing a level-head and intelligence that should hold him in good stead Zouma sensibly turned a move to City down, stating that for the foreseeable future he would ‘prefer to grow here’ – words that came as music to Sainté supporters ears.

Zouma is already quite the cult figure at Saint-Etienne and is no shrinking violet, already increasingly influential in the dressing room despite his young age.

Remy Cabella

(Montpellier, 22 years old)

Younes Belhanda and Olivier Giroud may have been the main headling-grabbing stars of Montpellier’s championship winning campaign last season, but MHSC were more than a two-man team. 22-year-old Remy Cabella was part of an excellent supporting cast, and with Belhanda’s dip in form this season and Giroud’s departure Cabella has emerged as one of Montpellier’s key men.

Club president Louis Nicollin admits he wasn’t a big fan of Cabella to begin with. “I wouldn’t say I didn’t like him but, I don’t know, I wasn’t feeling him” Nicollin told France Football at the start of the season. “But there’s been a realisation on his part,” says Nicollin. Since Belhanda left for the Africa Cup of Nations in January Cabella has only continued to grow in stature.

A box of tricks, the speedy right winger can also play from a more central attacking midfield position. 5 goals and 3 assists so far this season is a decent return that shows signs of Cabella’s improving confidence and creativity.

Wahbi Khazri

(Bastia, 21 years old)

As one of the key components of Bastia’s expansive, entertaining, promotion-winning campaign last season it was baffling to see 21-year-old attacking midfielder/winger Wahbi Khazri relegated to the bench at the start of this season by manager Frederic Hantz. Hantz was seeking a balance in his team that meant Khazri was often left out early on, but the Franco-Tunisian quickly made it impossible for his manager to leave him out with some excellent performances and decisive play in attacking areas.

Khazri can play on either flank or behind the striker and is practically a natural in all three positions. His intelligence, both tactically and on the ball, stand him out while his ability from set pieces is magnificent, as demonstrated via a thumping free kick against Bordeaux earlier in the season.

Recently named in Tunisia’s Africa Cup of Nations preliminary squad, the uncapped youngster has yet to decide whether to represent France or the Carthage Eagles at international level. Either way, he is a rising star in Ligue 1 and has adapted to top-flight French football almost immediately.

Gueida Fofana

(Olympique Lyonnais, 21 years old)

Gueida Fofana has not found it easy to establish himself since he joined Lyon from the talent factory of Le Havre in the summer of 2011, but the signs are that he is beginning to little by little. The former France Under-20 captain looked to have turned a corner at the start of the season, starting Lyon’s first three league games in midfield before the signing of Steed Malbranque.

Malbranque’s immediate impact curbed Fofana’s progress to an extent, but his performances in OL’s Europa League campaign impressed his manager Remi Garde enough to push Fofana ahead of summer signing Arnold Mvuemba in the midfield pecking order. Signed as a defensive midfield alternative to Maxime Gonalons, it soon became apparent to Lyon’s coaching staff that the youngster’s attributes were more suited to that of a midfielder passer and builder of play than a destroyer.

Fofana’s character and maturity are also very important mental attributes that stand him out. “His exemplary attitude in training allows him to progress” Garde has said in praise of the player once coveted by Real Madrid. “I know I can count on him when I need him.”

Serge Aurier

(Toulouse FC, 20 years old)

Serge Aurier made his debut for Lens at just 16 and in a short space of time has already grown into one of the most exciting young players in Ligue 1. A marauding, swashbuckling full back, predominantly a right back but who can also deputise at left back, Aurier signed for Toulouse in January 2012 after spending half a season in Ligue 2 with Lens following their relegation in 2011.

Since joining TFC he has already established himself as one of their best players. His energy and strength down the right, both defensively and going forward, have added a new dimension to Alain Casanova’s side and the Ivorian has all the physical attributes required to succeed in the modern game. Quick, athletic and fearsome in the challenge, his performances have got better and better with experience and he is already being watched by several top European clubs, with Arsenal particularly keen.

The technical side of his game is extremely impressive; his performance at the Parc des Princes earlier this season springs to mind, when despite Toulouse’s 2-0 defeat Aurier looked every inch the type of player capable of playing for PSG, putting their own full backs Christophe Jallet and Maxwell to shame. Tactically he can still improve, but having just turned 20 Aurier is definitely one to keep an eye on.

Samuel Umtiti

(Olympique Lyonnais, 19 years old)

Samuel Umtiti only made his full debut for Lyon on the 8th January of this year, in the Coupe de France against lowly Lyon-Duchère. The Cameroon-born defender soon won Remi Garde’s confidence however, featuring increasingly regularly as part of Garde’s rebuilding at the fallen giants of OL and progressing enough to start the Coupe de la Ligue (League Cup) final against Marseille.

After an excellent campaign at the Under-19 European Championships in the summer, where Umtiti acted as vice captain behind Paul Pogba, the 19-year-old’s star continued to rise in 2012-13. Initially played at left back, injury to Dejan Lovren handed Umtiti his chance at the heart of defence and since November the teenager has since become a first team regular – so good in fact that up to December 12th of this season he was the best tackler in Ligue 1 according to statisticians Opta, with an 85% tackle success rate in 558 minutes of football.

Lyon’s presidential advisor Bernard Lacombe likens Umtiti to a young Eric Abidal and the academy graduate has certainly improved physically in recent months. He has become more combative and reliable in the tackle while maintaining the extremely encouraging technical qualities he possesses with the ball at his feet. Umtiti looks like yet another successful product of Lyon’s brilliant academy.

Romain Alessandrini

(Stade Rennais, 23 years old)

What makes Rennes’ summer signing Romain Alessandrini such an exciting, wonderful young player to watch? Let’s start with his array of truly brilliant goals. When it comes to hitting the back of the net Alessandrini has a penchant for the spectacular. His left foot is like a carving knife and paintbrush all in one, as capable of delicate finesse as it is thrashing a football with the force of a jackhammer.

Another impressive aspect of Alessandrini’s game is his decisiveness at key moments. Rennes have often been accused of being a bit lightweight mentally in the past, even by their own manager. This season however Frederic Antonetti’s side have shown themselves to be tougher and more resilient, and Alessandrini has played a big part in that.

The key goal to put them 2-1 up at Nancy, the opener at the Parc des Princes where they won 2-1 at PSG with 9 men, an 88th minute winner v Troyes in the Coupe de la Ligue quarter final; Alessandrini has stepped up at big moments of the season for Rennes since joining from Clermont Foot – an important characteristic of any great player. He’s not there yet, but the Marseille-born man is certainly turning heads.

Marco Verratti

(Paris Saint-Germain, 20 years old)

“The guy who has surprised me most since the start of the season is Marco Verratti. Although I played in Italy last season I’d never heard of him because he was playing in the second division. I agree with everything positive being said about him. In fact I would say he’s even better than people think.”

“In buying him PSG have made a very good investment. Verratti has an immense talent, now he just needs time to progress at his own pace. People shouldn’t forget he’s only just turned 20.”

As the man who once said Pep Guardiola had ‘no balls’, Zlatan Ibrahimovic does not do empty platitudes. So his words on Verratti above come as very high praise indeed. The Italian dazzled in the early part of the season; Ibra’s delight in the youngster’s pinpoint long and short range passing was often visible as he ran to embrace Verratti after getting on the end of one of his many passes. Thiago Motta’s return from injury has restricted Verratti’s gametime, but the former Pescara star has what it takes.

For more on Verratti see also: Champions League 2012-2013 players to watch.

(Honourable mentions: Adrien Rabiot, Florian Thauvin, Yassine Benzia, Fabrice N’Sakala)

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The post The 10 Series – 10 Exciting Young Footballers to watch in France Ligue 1 in 2013 appeared first on Just Football.

Adil Rami left Lille a champion. An integral part of the Lille team that won a league and cup double in 2011, the towering centre back belonged to a swashbuckling, thrilling side that included players like Yohan Cabaye and Gervinho and Ludovic Obraniak and Moussa Sow and Eden Hazard – players that have all since departed, a championship-winning team dismantled inside eighteen months.

Rami returned to Lille for the first time this week to find Les Dogues teetering close to the brink of chaos.

A lot has changed, for good and bad. Off the pitch Lille have a brand new, impressive stadium, a wonderful training complex, a more solid infrastructure. For all intents and purposes they are now a bigger club.

On it however Lille is a shadow of its former self, a jaded figure from the one that so dazzled France. Where LOSC fans cheered their team to trophies during Rami’s time, against Valencia many of them, disgruntled, staged a protest. One supporters group – the Dogues Virage Est – boycotted the match.

Rami received a standing ovation from the home crowd at the end of Lille’s 1-0 defeat to Valencia. He was the only one. The players in red had long since scuttled from the field in shame, booed after a loss that won Lille the honour of becoming the first French team not to register a single point at home in a Champions League campaign.

‘Too grey’

Six games, five defeats – including a 6-1 humiliation at Bayern Munich that would genuinely have ended 10-1 or worse were it not for Mickael Landreau’s goalkeeping and Arjen Robben’s wastefulness. Bottom of the group for the second season running. 10th in the table. And, if rumours surrounding Landreau’s contract termination are to be believed, serious dressing room unrest surrounds the club.

When asked about the Grand Stade Lille Métropole, Lille’s state-of-the-art, 50,000-seater, €300million+ new stadium, Rami was frank. “It’s very nice but it’s too grey,” he quipped. “It lacks a bit of red, a bit of decoration and a bit of atmosphere.” He may as well have been talking about his former teammates, because the description fits them perfectly.

Defeat to Valencia, by way of a 36th minute Jonas penalty after he was fouled by Marko Basa, may be slightly harsh on Lille but it summed up their current predicament.

The result? A fall from champions in 2011 to mid-table and the ignominy of joining Sporting Braga in being one of two sides to lose all three Champions League home games.

For Lille coach Rudi Garcia losing the way they did against Valencia was ‘terrible’, having more than matched their opponents for long spells. “We put them under a lot of pressure without any success,” said the man often linked to the job at Los Che, a neat coincidence given Valencia’s manager’s bench was empty, with Mauricio Pellegrino recently sacked and new coach Ernesto Valverde in the stands before assuming full control.

Garcia must be aware of the problems.

Inefficient attack

In attack Lille have lost far too much quality attacking talent not to suffer. Les Dogues scored 68 goals in their title-winning season of 2010/11 at a rate of 1.79 goals per game – the highest in France. In 2011/12 they scored 72 goals (1.89/game).

After 15 games this season they have 16 goals – a pitiful rate of 1.06 goals per game, one of the worst scoring records in Ligue 1 and less goals scored than the likes of Evian Thonon-Gaillard at the bottom of the table. Only Reims, Brest, Nancy, Sochaux and Ajaccio have scored fewer.

Losing multi-million pound players of Sow, Gervinho and Eden Hazard’s calibre is hard to overcome, naturally. The replacements however have thus far proved inadequate. Nolan Roux has never managed more than 10 league goals in the top flight and is yet to prove he is anything close to a consistent and reliable goalscorer. His Ligue 1 average of 1 goal every 344 minutes is measly.

Tulio de Melo is too injury prone. The boos that rang out every time Salomon Kalou wasted possession against Valencia accurately reflect his shoddy play and general apathy in Lillois rouge since joining in the summer. Dimitri Payet has been too inconsistent to be called a success. And the less said about Ireneusz Jelen the better.

Garcia is gradually integrating Ronny Rodelin and Gianni Bruno, who both look promising. Rodelin was a towering presence against Valencia, constantly winning aerial challenges on the diagonal sent long by keeper Steeve Elana and flicking them on to teammates. Bruno also showed his instincts in front of goal with a brilliantly taken strike against Bastia in the recent Coupe de la Ligue win. Neither is far from winning a first team place, but Lille need to invest in a penalty box predator and fast.

Defensive concerns tactically

Defensively Lille are in better shape. Their league record is fine but issues remain. Marko Basa is suffering in his second season and making several mistakes. Aurelien Chedjou has been better, but what is increasingly apparent is that Lille lack a good ball-playing centre back who can help build play from deep.

In possession Lille’s full backs push high up; too often this isolates the centre backs who then play themselves into trouble under no pressure by taking too many touches or choosing the wrong pass, leaving the team on the back foot. A minor tactical point but it has cost Lille this season. When the ball is played out from the back Lille often look uncomfortable building play.

Franck Beria is another who is yet to reach the levels he is capable of while after Newcastle’s summer interest Mathieu Debuchy’s head is clearly not in it this season. Fortunately, in Lucas Digne and Djibril Sidibe Lille already have two full backs capable of stepping in now. They should be integrated as soon as possible.

Landreau

With club president Michel Seydoux admitting he is open to selling the club and actively sounding out potential buyers, there are obvious problems at Lille right now. Landreau’s abrupt and shady departure from the club in mid-season, ‘by mutual consent’ despite having a contract until 2014, suggests matters beneath the surface are also affecting club harmony.

For a keeper of Landreau’s professionalism, experience and ability to walk out so suddenly is extremely worrying for any LOSC supporter, particularly given the respect he commands amongst fellow colleagues. Another hero of the 2011 season, gone.

This was meant to be a golden period in the history of Lille OSC. Not since the 1950s have they been so successful. Les Dogues have been developed well enough off the field that they are now considered one of France’s biggest clubs, a genuine challenger to PSG.

Those fans who went on strike to protest poor Champions League performances might be advised to look back 15 years to the Ligue 2 days and realise that, then, playing Bayern Munich at home in a 50,000 seater stadium would have been considered a beautiful dream.

It would be churlish to describe Lille as a club in ‘crisis’ at this exciting time in their long history. But on current form, the idea that they are the organic, emerging giant of French football looks more dubious by the day.

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The new Olympique Lyonnais Home kit for the 2012-13 season features an innovative design which expertly incorporates the OL tricolore of white, red and blue. Kit makers Adidas have focused on giving OL a dynamic look whilst the club seek to build on their fourth pace finish and domestic cup win last season and rekindle their huge success of seven consecutive league championships between 2001-02 and 2007-08.

Adidas have introduced many distinguishable features to the new white home kit. The main feature is a majestic lion representing the city of Lyon embedded behind the iconic OL crest. This is the same lion that appears inside the “O” of the OL in the crest. The crest is presented on an almost regal royal blue and bright red diagonal combined stripe. The shirt also has a thin blue and red diagonal stripe with space for the shirt sponsor Hyundai, and their logo very much dominates the centre of the shirt. The Adidas three stripes appears in blue, but it does not go all the way down the sleeve, much like the Ajax home kit. Bright red piping at the bottom of the sleeves gives the shirt a slick finish. The Adidas logo in white nestles in nicely in the centre of the shirt. It is not a dominant feature at all and the subtlety of it is very tasteful.

I rate this kit highly, however, I think Adidas’s groundbreaking effort with the Lumiere brothers 3D third kit surpasses this one. The home design definitely exhibits creativity and a certain flamboyance that really suits OL. Along with the third kit Adidas have put fashion and the culture of the city of Lyon at the forefront of their designs for the club.

I would give this kit a 7.9/10. The kit is highly innovative yet sticks closely to the traditions of the club.

What do you think of the new Olympique Lyonnais home kit? Do you prefer the third kit to this one? Share your comments below, or leave your opinions on our Facebook or Twitter pages.

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Romain Alessandrini has been causing quite a stir since joining Ligue 1‘s Stade Rennais in the summer. Signed from Ligue 2 Clermont Foot for €2.5million after two outstanding seasons in France’s second tier, the 23-year-old Marseille-born left winger has already scored five goals for the Brittany club.

When he signed it was considered an excellent piece of business by Rennes. With 24 goals and 11 assists in two seasons at Clermont, Alessandrini marked himself as one of France’s brightest emerging talents, twice named in the Ligue 2 team of the season and also nominated for player of the season in 2011-12, an award that finally went to Bastia’s Jerome Rothen.

Thus far at Rennes he is proving his worth and has slotted into the side faster than even he expected.

A positive start for an exciting young prospect, fair enough. No real story here, right? But for the fact that, when it comes to scoring goals, Alessandrini doesn’t do tap-ins. The simple or the facile is not for Romain Alessandrini. With a left foot like a traction engine, when he hits one the ball knows about it.

And so he makes the Saturday Skills this week for an absolutely outstanding hit against Nancy this weekend, as you can see for yourself above. And just to show that the above strike was no fluke, here are two other Alessandrini classics, against Nancy again (this time in the Coupe de la Ligue) and against Lille earlier this season. Magnifique.

(v Nancy):

(v Lille):

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The post The Saturday Skills #12 – Romain Alessandrini appeared first on Just Football.

The new Olympic Lyonnais third kit for the 2012-13 season is quite literally groundbreaking. Adidas have pioneered a highly original and innovative design that honours two of Lyon’s finest sons. This shirt has been worn in the Europa League this season and with the aid of a pair of special 3D glasses shown below, several elements of the shirt including the club’s logo will portray a sharp 3D effect.

The shirt is dedicated to the Lumière brothers who have contributed heavily to the modernity and the development of cinema over the years. A dedication to the brothers appears in the inside of the collar. The shirt is black with a faded white V pattern across the chest of the shirt that runs through the embossed club crest.  Subtle reds and blues are blended into this white V pattern with the letters “OL” appearing boldly in the middle of the pattern.  The shirt is rounded off with the Adidas 3 stripes appearing in white on the shoulders and the Adidas insignia in white on the right breast. There is a thin red trim at the bottom of the sleeves and bordering the v-neck collar. Veolia Environment sponsor this kit, however, much of the marketing ahead of the release of the kit did not bear the sponsor in order to emphasise the detail that Adidas invested in the design.

I absolutely love what Adidas have done here with this kit. They have made a fantastic ceremony of two legends of Lyon that have made a massive impact in the cinematic world over the ages. The design is highly fashionable and original and has a unique meaning to the people of the city and fans of the club. Personally, I wish that this kit was commissioned as the away kit rather than the third kit, it quite simply needs to make more appearances this season.

I would give this kit a high scoring 8.7/10. An absolutely stunning effort.

What do you think? Do you think that there is a place in the replica kit market for more of these 3D kits? Leave your comments below or share your thoughts on our Facebook or Twitter pages.

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This season has seen a landmark change for Lille OSC with the club moving to the majestic 50,000 seater Grand Stade Lille Métropole stadium. To complement this move, Umbro have created the new Lille third kit for the 2012-13 season which is very much dedicated to the fans. Umbro wanted to market the special relationship that fans of “Les Dogues” have with the club and they did so in style by choosing 25 lucky fans from a pool of thousands of applicants to don the kit alongside current players in different landmarks around the city. Here are two photos from Umbro of some of the winners.

The new shirt, which will be worn by the club in European fixtures throughout the season consists of black and dark grey halves. The large iconic P from club sponsors Group Partouche and the Umbro insignia appear in what is a Flanders yellow, an appropriate tribute to the historic region in which Lille is located. The club crest appears in the same Flanders yellow in a  monochromatic format. Umbro have made this shirt from a lightweight and breathable material with displaced shoulder seams to minimise abrasion and encourage free flowing movement.

In an age where many football clubs have been accused of protecting their own commercial interests ahead of focusing on what is important to the fans, Umbro have successfully done the opposite by putting the fans at the centre of what is important to the club, thus the kit has so much more meaning. I love the fact that this kit is designed for the fans with the fans in mind.I love the simplicity of the design and the Flanders yellow complements the black very nicely. This kit is highly fashionable as well, it is definitely a kit that can be worn away from football circles to make a statement of metropolitan identity.

I would give the kit a 9.6/10. This is without doubt Umbro’s best kit for the season and best sums up their mantra of “Tailored by Umbro”. This is simply a touch of grace!

What do you think of this kit? Do you like the marketing behind it? Do you think it was important that Umbro designed this with the fans in mind? Leave your comments below, or share your opinions on Facebook or Twitter.

See also: Joe Cole at Lille – success or failure? What next for Liverpool’s Londoner?

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The Paris Saint Germain home kit for the 2012-2013 season is yet another new entrant for the French giants. PSG have been world  renowned this season for their record €147m spending spree, introducing huge names like Gregory van der Weil, Lucas Moura, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Thiago Motta and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Kit makers Nike have brought in fresh designs from last season’s shirt. The new shirt is now all blue with the most noticeable change being the exit of the traditional thick red central band and the entry of a slick red and white pin stripe combination spread apart as if to represent the band of the past but create a future direction of fluidity and prospective success. The inspiration behind the predominant blue background celebrates their famous club crest of the cradle under The Eiffel Tower.  Like the Arsenal away shirt this season Nike have used recycled bottles to make the kit in the interests of pioneering their range of the most environmentally friendly kits in the market currently. Fly Emirates are still the sponsor of the French Giants.

I love this new shirt. I was surprised to see the red centre band removed, however, the new design really suits the club ethos and direction of the club without breaking with tradition completely.

I give the shirt a 7.7/10.

What do you think? Is this the year that PSG potentially complete a clean sweep across the board domestically and in Europe gracefully wearing their new kit? Leave your comments below or share your opinions on Facebook or Twitter.

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“As the game progressed I had this image in my head that I would score. On our last attack I didn’t ask any questions, I just ran up the field with a determination and will to win. Serge (Aurier) told me to go the back post and no-one really seemed to mark me. Wissam (Ben Yedder) played in a super ball, I saw the near post and managed to get to the ball with the back of my head. I had a flash – a vision – that I would score and then run to the crowd, because they encourage me in every game.”

Ali Ahamada, Toulouse goalkeeper, 22/9/2012.

Scoring a last minute goal to rescue a result for your team is a fine feeling for any footballer. For supporters it is a magical moment, indeed some might say there exists no better feeling in football. For players it can be the ultimate defining moment, that rare treat remembered by fans for all eternity, if in a big enough game. To score a last minute goal as a player is an achievement in itself. To score a last minute goal as a goalkeeper, even better.

Ali Ahamada entered Ligue 1 folklore this past weekend by scoring a 95th minute goal for Toulouse to rescue a point in a 2-2 draw at home to Rennes.The 21-year-old French Under-21 international goalkeeper reaches a lofted ball into the box and flicks it home before darting into the crowd to wild scenes of joy, with players and fans hugging, cheering, celebrating and punching the air in delight.

This was one of those illuminating moments that just warms the heart – unless you happen to support Rennes of course – and also goes down as the first goal scored by a keeper in France’s Ligue 1 for 16 years, since Gregory Wimbée scored for Nancy against Lens in 1996.

As Ahamada affirmed afterwards the vision he had pre-match came to fruition. “This is an exceptional night for me” he beamed, a grin on his face as wide as the goalposts he guards with such promise on a weekly basis for le Téfécé. His premonition was far from idle chatter – 30 seconds before Toulouse even won the free kick that led to the goal Ahamada intercepted a cross, threw the ball upfield and then started charging up the pitch like a man possessed, leaving his goal unguarded, so eager was he to fulfil what he had obviously seen coming.

The uncontrollable glee on the faces of Toulouse fans in the crowd celebrating with him afterwards prove Ahamada’s hunch was worth gambling on. A wonderful moment of player-supporter harmony.

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The Pot 4 Club is back for another year on Just Football, reloaded with new teams, new competitors and – inspired by Pot 4 alumni and last season’s Champions League quarter finalists APOEL FC – new ambitions.

Next to be profiled – Montpellier, presented by Andrew Gibney, founder and editor of the excellent French Football Weekly:

Club: Montpellier

Country: France

Group: B – with Arsenal, Schalke 04 and Olympiakos

What’s the story

To call it an epic journey would probably be putting it lightly for the club from France’s south coast. For the first time in their history Montpellier are the Champions of France and of course that means entry to Europe’s elite club competition for the first time. It has been an amazing ascension for a club that only eight years ago were relegated to Ligue 2.

Eccentric club owner Louis Nicollin will be hoping to avoid the same fate suffered when they last played in a European competition. Back in 1999 Montpellier were knocked out of the UEFA Cup in the 2nd round by Spanish side Deportivo La Coruna, goals from Roy Maakay and Pauleta were enough to give the away side a 2-0 win at the Stade de la Mosson, but to make things worse La Paillade would finish the season 18th and drop down to the old Division 2.

Cedric Barbosa, Olivier Sorlin, Toifilou Maoulida and Patrice Loko were the stars of the side back then, and Nicollin will hope Henri Bedimo, Younes Belhanda and John Utaka can continue to build on this side’s excellent success by not only solidifying their place in Ligue 1 but by holding their own in Europe and potentially causing teams a few shocks.

What opponents can expect

Any visitors to the “Mosson” must treat this team and ground with respect. On their way to becoming champions Montpellier only dropped seven points at home with PSG the only side to take all three points on their travels. In 19 games they only conceded 11 goals and scored on average around two goals per game.

Unfortunately the home crowd only seems to turn up for the big games; they averaged around 16,000 per game over the season but the 32,000 that watched their side beat Lille and put one hand on the trophy was an atmosphere to rival most in Europe. You can expect on European nights for the ground to be filled with passionate and incredibly noisy fans.

Behind the goal you will find the “Butte Paillade 91” the main supporter group of the club. Always found in the Etang du Thau or “The Cage” they will back their team 100% – often displaying giant tifos, setting off flares and making sure they noise level is kept up for the duration of the match. The influence of the fans will go a long, long way as to how Montpellier compete against the bigger European teams.

Tactical analysis

When Rene Girard took over the club in 2009 from Rolland Courbis he tried to continue a philosophy of playing attractive football and making the most out of the excellent youth prospects the club has started to bring through. Pace and width comes from the flanks, with both full backs and the midfield given license to get forward.

Playing in what mainly is described as 4-2-3-1 the double midfield pivots provide cover to the centre backs as the likes of Henri Bedimo and Garry Bocaly bomb forward from full-back. Last season when they had Olivier Giroud playing as the lone frontman they sometimes used the long ball option to benefit from Giroud’s excellent ball control to find willing runners on both sides.

Girard has tried to continue that style this season but without Giroud it hasn’t quite clicked into place. Montpellier still remain a devastating force on the break with players that combine both technical ability and pace to wonderful effect.

Manager

Owner Louis Nicollin is one of the most outspoken characters in Ligue 1 so to put up with Lou Lou’s antics you need to have a strong character in order to coach this team. In Rene Girard you have the perfect compliment. Constantly at odds with the referees, he always has his team’s back and protects them like they are his own children.

The former national team youth coach has done nothing but miracles with this team. The ability to blend new signings and exciting youngsters together seamlessly into a winning side should be celebrated; now Girard gets the chance to test himself at the next level.

Key Players

With Giroud gone all eyes will now turn toward Younes Belhanda. The Moroccan playmaker came on leaps and bounds last season but now Girard will want the 22-year old to show everyone that he can step up his game to another level. No one doubts the ability Belhanda possesses on the field, but the question marks usually come over his mentality, too often he sees red and misses vital games. The club can’t afford to lose a player of his quality and now the player that Louis Nicollin said “had a Hazard in each leg” needs to fulfil his potential.

One to Watch

It’s fair to say football runs in the Stambouli family. Current French U21 midfielder Benjamin is one of Montpellier’s brightest prospects, his uncle and grandfather both managed AS Monaco and his Dad Henri is the current Youth Director at Marseille.

Stambouli junior is beginning to make a name of his own. Although he only started 13 games last season his performances were worth watching. Comfortable on the ball he rarely gives it away cheaply. He reads the game very well and is not afraid of putting in a tackle. Able to play both as a centre back and in the midfield, this could be a huge season for the 22-year-old.

Travelling supporters may like…

For any fans travelling south to take in one of the games in Montpellier, you will most likely spend the day at Place de la Comedie, a lovely pedestrian street full of bars and restaurants. When you decide to make your way to the ground instead of taking the #1 blue tram from Comedie to Mosson, take the two minute walk down to Gare Saint-Roch and jump on the #3 green tram line.

The journey is 15 minutes quicker, get off at the end of the line and walk through the stalls selling food and beer, it is also a great way to soak up the atmosphere.

Prediction

To make an impression in this group Montpellier will have to turn their home ground into a fortress, just like they did in the league last year. On ability alone they have the players to finish second in their group, the lack of experience could stop them remaining consistent over the six games.

Both Olympiakos and Schalke are proven Champions League veterans and will both think they can also finish second and reach the last 16. If Montpellier can pick up at least seven points in their first campaign that would be a wonderful achievement. Only time will tell if that will be enough to progress through to the next round.

Next in The Pot 4 Club – Malaga. To stay updated follow Just Football on Twitter, Facebook or Google+.

Andrew Gibney is the founder and editor of French Football Weekly. Follow him on Twitter @Agibneyftbl

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Join us for live coverage of Reims v Marseille here!

The start of the new season in France’s Ligue 1 has been met with a lot of excitement, perhaps more so than usual. Paris Saint-Germain’s lavish summer spending has undoubtedly helped raise the profile of France’s top flight, with an increasing number of observers keen to see how PSG’s bid for European domination gets on.

Signings like that of Ezequiel Lavezzi, Thiago Silva and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have also greatly boosted Ligue 1′s standing, such that ESPN decided to acquire the rights to broadcast Ligue 1 live in England for the first time in many years.

The first two games of the new season broadcast on these shores were intriguing affairs. New champions Montpellier were held 1-1 by Toulouse in a game that included three red cards, while PSG also failed to start their season with a win, Ibrahimovic’s two goals rescuing them in a 2-2 draw at home to Lorient.

To kick start the new Social section of Just Football therefore, we will be covering the Sunday night game – Reims v Marseille live. Newly promoted Reims, a club of fine history, take on a Marseille side still hurting from the disappointment of their 10th place finish last season.

Last year it took Marseille until week 7 to win their first game in Ligue 1 after a terrible start by Didier Deschamps’ side. Deschamps has since left to become new France head coach, Elie Baup the man chosen to replace him.

Can Baup get his reign in charge of OM off to a better start with a win at Reims in front of a fervent crowd? Come and join us at 19.45 UK time to find out. Kick off is at 20.00 UK time. The liveblog will be held in our new Social section on Just Football, where you can debate, find all the latest news and take part in our regular polls.

See you there!

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He arrived in France on deadline day, greeted by fanfare and trumpets and great expectations. By the end he left almost under the radar, the attention of most Lillois occupied more by the departure of golden child Eden Hazard.

Joe Cole’s season long stay in the North of France was in many respects a curious one. But can it be deemed successful, and what is the next step for the man once hailed as the future of English football?

Le petit anglais

On 31^st August 2011 news broke that Cole had agreed to cross the Channel to sign a season-long loan deal with French champions Lille. Deemed an expendable luxury by Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish, Cole had not featured at all for the Reds at the start of the season and thus took the opportunity to pack his bags and start afresh in the unknown of Ligue 1.

The move was received with a mix of bemusement, surprise and unbridled delight in France. There is without question a genuine fascination for all things English across the pond, so for a prestigious, Premier League-winning player and England international still at the height of his career (if not quite at his best) to join the comparatively low-key environs of French football gave the league a real boost.

Lille, for their part, were overjoyed with the deal, declaring themselves ‘proud’ that their growing profile had allowed them ‘to attract a player of such calibre.’ The day after the deal went through, 500 Lille fans showed up at training to welcome their new star, scrambling for autographs and cheering every touch by ‘le petit anglais.’

“For me Joe is one of the most Latin English players there is,” Lille boss Rudi Garcia commented, praising his new recruit. “He will easily fit into our style of play be it in midfield or the right or left of a 4-3-3. Really though he is more of an attacking midfielder.”

“He’s my brother”

Cole’s first game for Les Dogues was a genuinely heartwarming affair. Not fit enough to feature from the start away to Saint-Etienne, Cole came on as a second half substitute with the score at 1-1 and helped swing the game in Lille’s favour with a wonderful individual display that rolled back the years, to a time when then England manager Kevin Keegan, Manchester United and English football at large all batted their eyelids at this teenage prodigy of untold promise.

His move to create Lille’s final goal in the 3-1 victory was simply sublime, ducking and weaving his play past five players before squaring for Ludovic Obraniak to tap in.

The goal was Obraniak’s but almost every player ran to Cole, embracing him warmly and patting him vigorously on the head like a child patting a stray dog. “Can we keep him, pleeease?!” the longing looks from players to touchline to fans seemed to suggest. A star was reborn.

Cole did his best in the post-match interview afterwards alongside Eden Hazard. “Eeet’s a pleshure to play wiv Joe Cole” Hazard joked in broken English. “He’s my brother.” Cole, sporting a smile as wide as the Eurostar tunnel that took him to training every day, spoke in slowed down English.

“We’re going to have a lot of fun together this year” he said of Hazard and his new club, before concluding with a ‘merci beaucoup.’ It was a touching moment, almost like a rite of passage for the Englishman.

Anyone who has lived in a foreign country and had to adapt to a new environment and strange language will appreciate the sense of belonging Cole found in those moments. His beaming face told of the warmth and satisfaction he had found in being well-received by new friends.

The fun did continue, for a while. Cole excelled in his first six months in Northern France, utilised by Garcia in a number of attacking and wide positions.

There was his first goal, from long-range, a beautifully struck effort against Lorient. There were impressive cameos at Auxerre and Lyon, solid performances in the Champions League and a hat-trick against US Chantilly in the French Cup (Coupe de France). There were the popular, adoring chants of ‘Hey Joe’ (to the tune of Hey Jude) from the Lille faithful.

There was even room for a downright bizarre interview on the official club website in which Joe Cole interviewed Joe Cole, including Cole’s revelation that the main difference between French and English players is – wait for it – ‘flamboyant underwear’. It all portrayed the image of a very relaxed player thriving in his new surroundings and enjoying the challenges of playing abroad.

However, as has often been the case in a peculiar and often patchy career, the stardust eventually began to fade.

Dip in quality

Cole has always had various fitness issues to deal with, be they injury or stamina-related. In 56 caps for England Cole only completed 90 minutes 11 times, while a third of his appearances for Chelsea came as a substitute. Having turned 30 at Lille, the trend only continued. Only 6 times in 42 appearances did Cole complete 90 minutes. Of those six games Lille only won once, at home to Dijon.

His level of performance waned. His endurance levels struggled. He lost his place in the team to Dimitri Payet. Cole soon became the 60 minute man, featuring from the bench or being continuously replaced around the hour mark. Lille were knocked out of both cups and failed to retain their title, a disappointment for Cole who had cited a desire to repay the club’s faith in him with trophies.

Having already lost Hazard in the summer Rudi Garcia openly spoke of his wish to keep Cole – “one of his best players” according to the French coach. But ultimately Liverpool, under the leadership of new manager Brendan Rodgers, have opted to keep their London boy.

Overall, Cole’s season in Ligue 1 has to go down as a success. 9 goals in 42 appearances is an estimable tally and the spell in France undoubtedly gave the former Chelsea man renewed vigour. Cole would speak regularly about how much he enjoyed the style of play in France; the tactical side of the game, the time on the ball and an appreciation of skill not always prevalent in England. He even promised to buy a dog in homage to the animal represented on the club’s crest.

The future, at Anfield?

It will be interesting to see how Rodgers plans to use Cole at Anfield, if indeed he wishes to keep him. Certainly it seems unlikely at this stage in his career that Cole can be relied on to play 90 minutes every week, but he can offer the Reds much-needed guile and craft from the bench. The wizardry remains even if the bones are creaking.

“I met up with Joe Cole when I was in Spain,” Rodgers said recently. “He’s a very talented player. He’s obviously gone out to Lille and done very well and he has the opportunity to come back here and show his qualities.”

Cole’s experiences at Lille, playing and learning in a foreign league and culture, can only benefit him in the long run, both personally and professionally. For him and Liverpool, the hope now is that ‘le petit anglais’ can thrive again on home soil.

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In the wintery climes of a cold Parisian night last November, Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser al-Khelaifi was asked about the Ligue 1 title race, his recently acquired team three points clear at the top having drawn 1-1 away at Bordeaux. “Given the league table at present, if PSG are not champions of France at the end of the season, it will be a failure.”

At the time it was difficult to disagree.

PSG were already six points clear of champions Lille, seven clear of likely challengers Lyon and twelve clear of biggest rivals Marseille, having spent €86.4million Euros on new players following Qatar Sports Investment’s takeover. Put in context, that figure represented 48% of total transfer spending in the entirety of France’s top two divisions – the other 39 clubs between them spending a total of €94.6million.

The closest team to PSG in the league at the time of al-Khelaifi’s comments were Montpellier, three points behind after scrapping to a 1-1 draw at Saint Etienne.

Little Montpellier, who finished 14th the previous season and have spent 5 of the last 8 seasons in Ligue 2. All well and good – everybody likes an underdog – but such early season form was deemed surprising and definitely nothing to worry about in the face of a seemingly growing force like PSG. The consensus was that, like irritating flies buzzing around a royal banquet, they’ll go away eventually, if ignored.

By December, Montpellier were top. Still their charismatic president Louis Nicollin played it down.

“Montpellier champions? Impossible. All I’m worried about is that we might qualify for the Europa League. That’d really p*ss me off. What a rubbish competition!”

Nicollin, a gruff character who made his fortune in the family business of rubbish collection, went further still.

“If I were at PSG, Lyon, Lille or Rennes, and Montpellier finished as champions, I’d want to stab myself in the arse with a sausage. What a disgrace that would be!”

Well get the saucissons ready, because on May 20th 2012, the ‘impossible’ became reality. After seeing off Auxerre in a wildly entertaining, frustrating and equally anti-climactic final day in France, Montpellier were crowned champions of France for the first time in their history.

Victory over exiting champions Lille in the penultimate weekend had ended the northern club’s reign whilst simultaneously taking Montpellier to the brink. The hosts won it in the 94th minute, just hours after Manchester City’s own last minute dramas, thanks to Karim Ait-Fana’s late, late strike – a goal that saw Montpellier’s Stade de la Mosson erupt in outpourings of ecstasy and glee.

The scenes were genuinely emotional. “Look at all these people, these fans” was all keeper Geoffrey Jourdren could utter repeatedly between streams of joyful tears, barely able to control himself in the post-match interview. “Just look!” he wept unashamedly.

Victory had secured Champions League football and meant Montpellier needed just a point from their final game away at Auxerre to reach the gates of football heaven. In the meantime, the Champions League’s famous orchestral music blared around the creaking stadium.

A week later the dream was realised in a 2-1 win at Auxerre, in a tawdry match that required over 30 minutes of stoppages due to angry Auxerre fans – their team already down – doing their best to interrupt proceedings with tennis balls and toilet paper.

It resulted in an unnecessary, drama-killing wait as every other team’s season had finished and we knew the answers to all questions but the biggest – who will win the league? PSG’s win at Lorient delayed the suspense as Montpellier, drawing 1-1, needed only concede one goal to blow it in the most spectacular of ways.

But as those who have watched coach Rene Girard’s team all season will know, this Montpellier is made of stern stuff. There would be no bottling it here. John Utaka’s second goal of the game gave MHSC the win to put the icing on the cake of an unforgettable, historic season.

On the brink: Montpellier celebrate late winner v Lille

“This crowns the season,” Girard stated. “I am so proud of my players. They’ve had an exceptional season and we deserved to go all the way.”

Girard’s success is a veritable poke in the eye for billionaire oligarchs worldwide who observe football and think money can buy you love. An absolutely incredible achievement. Remember – Montpellier’s entire annual budget of €33million is less than PSG paid for one player (Javier Pastore, €42million).

Girard built a team based on solid foundations, a team that has grown and developed together from academy to first team. In players like Remy Cabella, Benjamin Stambouli, Jourdren, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, Jamel Saihi and Younes Belhanda Montpellier found the nucleus of a strong team based on a clear identity and a shared vision.

This sense of purpose and identity was an element PSG so clearly lacked, with constant in-fighting, tantrums and arguments. Not only amongst players but also at boardroom level, with the frankly disgraceful treatment of former coach and PSG legend Antoine Kombouare, sacked just days before Christmas despite topping the table.

Where disharmony reigned at PSG, Montpellier provided the antidote. A formidable defence – statistically the best in the division – featured free transfer Vitorino Hilton and the physically dominant leader and captain Yanga-Mbiwa in the centre, flanked by Garry Bocaly and the formidable Henri Bedimo – crowd favourite and a revelation at left back, one of the players of the season in Ligue 1 after joining last summer for €2m.

In midfield Belhanda’s development into a creative midfielder of real repute has been a huge contributing factor, with 12 goals and 4 assists winning him the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year award. Souleymane Camara and the cult hero that is John Utaka both played key roles down the flanks, providing the width and service for Olivier Giroud, whose 21 league goals won him the golden boot.

Signed from Tours in Ligue 2, Giroud has developed into one of the best strikers France have and a potential option for Laurent Blanc’s Euro 2012 squad. The poster boy of this historic Montpellier team, the 25-year-old has huge ability and can score all manner of goals, from tap-ins to 25-yard volleys from unfathomable angles. His composure in setting up Ait-Fana for the late winner vs Lille was a firm example of his cool under pressure.

The bond and unity within this championship winning Montpellier team has been consistently praised by Girard.

“We’re a club of brothers, an academy club. In the end it’s proved to be quite a nice blend. We’ve played a complete style of football, we haven’t just defended. There’s been a great balance in the team and I’m delighted.”

The party in La Paillade has been going on ever since, as on Monday Montpellier received the trophy and Loulou Nicollin, France’s longest serving club president, collector of football kits and a true fan, sported a radical new hair-do, fulfilment of a promise made if Montpellier won the league.

“We have shown that clubs like ours can exist,” said Girard. “Everybody said that it’s only the rich who can win everything, but we’ve proved it’s not always the case.”

(photo credit: Sly973 (S.Brouard) via Flickr)

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